DJ-Classifieds is a powerful Joomla extension with an outstanding number of features. This article covers the basics and most important sections of the extension's setup so you can kickstart easily your new classified ads website.
If you want to go deeper and learn about more detailed features check the links at the bottom of this article.
This article covers:
Ok, let's start, the article is written in the style to guide you through all sections needed to set up the classifieds website with DJ-Classifieds. Each section has also the links for the articles that will guide you into the details.
Categories
Your site will need adverts (also referred as items).
But before allowing users to post them, you, as the site’s admin, will need to create categories, to which the ads will belong.
Categories can be created in the back-end area of the component, under Categories section:
There are many different parameters for categories – as you can see the documentation for adding categories - but, for the start, the „Name” field will be sufficient to set.
Related links:
- Creating new category
- How to import categories and subcategories to DJ-Classifieds
- See articles tagged with "Category" tag
Extra fields
Extra fields (also called: "custom fields") are not required for DJ-Classifieds to operate but are very helpful in differentiating ads submitted to specific categories.
By using extra fields, ads assigned to the e.g. „Phones” category can be displayed with detailed information in the custom field that it has 32GB „Storage”, but ads from e.g. „For Rent” category can have 3 „Rooms”. So each category in DJ-Classifieds can have a specific set of the custom fields that can be later used for filtering, searching, displaying on the advert page, and so on.
Adding extra fields to the categories (and therefore -> to adverts) is not the only way to use them. Custom fields can be also assigned to User profiles, contact details, and the "Contact this advertiser"form. Learn more about extra fields here.
Related links:
- Extra fields in DJ-Classifieds (UPDATE)
- User profiles in DJ-Classifieds
- See articles tagged with "Custom fields" tag
Locations
Using Locations (also referred to as "Regions") is also optional, but it’s a very powerful feature, allowing to e.g. display adverts on the map, or search for them using user’s current location.
Related links:
- Locations in DJ-Classifieds (UPDATE!)
- How to import locations/regions to DJ-Classifieds
- The location module for DJ-Classifieds
- See articles tagged with "Locations" tag
Posting/submitting/adding adverts
Posting ads will be done by your users, on the site’s front-end (although you might also add adverts in the site’s back-end, as an admin).
To allow users to do so, you will need to publish one of many menu items, available in DJ-Classifieds component, which is – „Add item” menu item.
Navigate to e.g. your main menu and create the „Add item” DJ-Classifieds menu item, so it could be accessed on front-end:
Displaying ads on site
It’s all about the ads. Once they are successfully added, they will need to be displayed on your site:
- By „Category table layout” or „Category blog layout” menu items (to have a whole separate page for displaying ads)
Learn more about available DJ-Classifieds menu items here.
Related links:
Modules & Plugins
The module for displaying ads („DJ-Classifieds Items” module) is only one of many installed when you install the DJ-Classifieds All-In-One package on your site (or a Quickstart with it).
Here is a list of all available DJ-Classifieds modules. They can be published on site, as any other Joomla! modules – in Extensions -> Modules -> New:
There is also a ton of plugins for DJ-Classifieds available for additional download from the "DJ-Extensions” site (after logging in with a user with active DJ-Classifieds subscription):
- integration plugins – for integrating DJ-Classifieds with other 3rd party extensions, like Falang, EasySocial, Jomsocial, J!MailAlerts, and many more (or even a Joomla! core search module).
- Premium Apps – additional premium plugins, heavily extending the use of DJ-Classifieds.
- Maps plugins – By default, Maps in DJ-Classifieds are handled by Google. But there are other options, if you don’t want to, or can’t use Google Maps.
- Payment plugins – Along with DJ-Classifieds, e.g. the PayPal payment plugin was also installed. But the list of payment plugins for DJ-Classifieds is very long.
Related links:
- Payment plugins for DJ-Classifieds
- World map of availability of DJ-Classifieds payment plugins
- See articles tagged with "Modules" tag
Making money off your classifieds site
Speaking of the payment plugins. Those can be used to allow users to spend their money for many goods, that are connected to... ads. Let’s list them:
- Promotions – 4 types: First, Background, Border & Special – allowing users to mark out their ads from others
- Categories – users can be charged for adding ads to some specific categories, or for all of them
- Duration – you can set a constant day limit after which all ads will expire, or, allow users to choose one of the available (created by you) durations limit, free or not
- Move to top – similar to the promotion „First”, but allowing users for additional ad’s boost on the list of adverts
- Payable types – you can create Types with colorful labels like „For Sale” or „Free” – and set them to be payable or free, in case users want to assign them to their ads
- Payable characters – ad’s description can be very long, but you might want to make users pay if it’s too long
- Points packages – Points system, another great feature allowing to pay for all of the above goods with points, but the packages with this points should be purchased by real money
- Subscription Plans – a premium feature provided by the additional plugin – learn more about Plans here.
- Images – what a boring classifieds site without any images – you decide how much of them (per ad) should be free of charge
Related articles:
- Payment plugins in DJ-Classifieds
- Promotions in DJ-Classifieds
- Promotion Durations
- 'Move to top' feature
- Types in DJ-Classifieds
- Points system in DJ-Classifieds
- Subscription Plans App for DJ-Classifieds
- Images multi upload doesn't work? - here's the fix
- See articles tagged with "Money" tag
Buy Now & Auctions
„Buy Now” feature allows users to post ads with some quantity, so other users could buy them.
They can even use a PayPal payment plugin for direct payments. „Auctions” option, on the other hand, if enabled for the ad, allows other users to place bids for the item, and changing the classifieds site into an eBay-like site.
Related articles:
Multilingual site
You might want to present your classifieds site in more than one language. Happily, DJ-Classifieds fully supports it.
First, you need to learn how to create a multi-lingual Joomla! site – here is a good article on this topic - How to set up a Multilingual Joomla! Site
Then, you can start making DJ-Classifieds multi-lingual.
We provide many language packs for DJ-Classifieds, which can be downloaded from the „DJ-Extensions” site (after logging in with a user with active DJ-Classifieds subscription).
Once the downloaded language pack is installed (like any other Joomla! extension), it will be used automatically if the site’s language changes to the corresponding one.
But the language pack covers only the component's static content.
For translating the dynamic content, like DJ-Classifieds category names, extra fields, etc., using "Falang" component is needed, along with special .xml content elements files (also available on our site).
Related articles:
- How to add missing language constants
- How to use FaLang with DJ-Classifieds
- How to translate custom fields values
- Check the documentation section of DJ-Classifieds
- Browse the guides and tutorials for DJ-Classifieds
- Learn more about DJ-Classifieds Apps that add superpowers to the classified ads extension
- Watch Video Tutorials for DJ-Classifieds
- Browse the blog for DJ-Classifieds where we publish the latest news about the extension
- Joomla-Monster's articles about DJ-Classifieds
- Joomla-Monster's templates for DJ-Classifieds
